Two Middletown teens charged in armed robbery spree

Two teenage muggers who terrorized the Estates at Dove Run and Longmeadow neighborhoods this month are behind bars, according to Middletown police.

By Scott Gossscott.goss@doverpost.comTwitter: @MiddletownScott

Two teenage muggers who terrorized the Estates at Dove Run and Longmeadow neighborhoods this month are behind bars, according to Middletown police.

The boys – ages 17 and 15 – were arrested separately after robbing four people at gunpoint in a pair of hold ups Saturday, police said.

In both instances, the teens reportedly wore masks and ordered their victims to the ground at gunpoint before stealing cell phones, cash, a wallet and a woman’s purse.

Their victims on Saturday included a 19-year-old woman who was robbed in the 200 block of Bucktail Drive in the Estates of Dove Run, as well as a 52-year-old man, a 50-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy who were robbed in the 100 block of Truepenny Turn in Longmeadow neighborhood.

Middletown Police Chief Henry Tobin III said the teens also are charged in connection with a similar armed robbery on Sweet Hollow Drive in the Longmeadow neighborhood on Nov. 3, in which a 44-year-old jogger was robbed at gunpoint by two assailants who made off with his iPod.

Tobin said police caught up with the teens as they were fleeing from Saturday’s armed robbery on Truepenny Turn.

The 17-year-old was taken into custody then, while the 15-year-old was arrested at his home on Monday, he said.

Both teens reportedly live in the area where the robberies occurred.

Following a search of one of their homes, police were able to recover most of the items stolen during their robbery spree, Tobin said.

Each boy will be charged with five counts of first-degree robbery, three counts of second-degree conspiracy and three counts of wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony.

The 17-year-old is currently being held at the Ferris School for Boys in Wilmington on a $257,000 cash bail. The 15-year-old is being held at the same location on a $157,000 secured bond.